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Coastal News Roundup: How The Endangered Species Act Saved The Brown Pelican

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Brown pelicans nesting on Queen Bess Island in Barataria Bay, north of Grand Isle. The brown pelican was once listed as an endangered species.

This week on the Coastal News Roundup: the Endangered Species Act. The ESA went into effect in 1973, and since then, several Louisiana species that were once endangered have come back from the brink of extinction.

 

Recently, both congress and the Trump Administration have proposed changes to the law.

 

Sara Sneath, environmental reporter for Nola.com/The Times-Picayune, has been writing about the impact of the law in Louisiana. WWNO’s Travis Lux spoke with her about the proposed changes, and how the act has helped some of Louisiana’s most iconic species -- like the American alligator, the brown pelican, and the Louisiana black bear.

 

You can find all the stories in Sara's series, Saving the Southern Wild, plus related videos, over at Nola.com.

 

Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Walton Family Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Foundation for Louisiana, and local listeners.

 

As Coastal Reporter, Travis Lux covers flood protection, coastal restoration, infrastructure, the energy and seafood industries, and the environment. In this role he's reported on everything from pipeline protests in the Atchafalaya swamp, to how shrimpers cope with low prices. He had a big hand in producing the series, New Orleans: Ready Or Not?, which examined how prepared New Orleans is for a future with more extreme weather. In 2017, Travis co-produced two episodes of TriPod: New Orleans at 300 examining New Orleans' historic efforts at flood protection. One episode, NOLA vs Nature: The Other Biggest Flood in New Orleans History, was recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors and the New Orleans Press Club. His stories often find a wider audience on national programs, too, like NPR's Morning Edition, WBUR's Here and Now, and WHYY's The Pulse.

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